When Did Your Heart Go Missing
by ToGoAndLetGo
Summary: Between dinner and Cameron showing up at his door, Chase reflects. During Human Error. Inspired by the song When Did Your Heart Go Missing by Rooney. Not song fic.


Rejection was not a word that was normally in his vocabulary. Of course, neither was the word fired until he was. Things hadn't been going well for him in his personal life so it was only a matter of time before his professional life hit the toilet again. As he dropped his keys on the table by the door, where he'd dropped them so many times since he moved in, he wondered how long he'd be able to afford this condo. How long he'd be jobless and how he was going to handle the application process.

"At least I'll sleep tonight… through the night." Robert Chase muttered as he wandered to his kitchen.

The only remedy in this situation was booze. A broken heart and a wounded ego found that to be the best medicine. He'd never been much of a drinker, after nursing an alcoholic mother by himself. But then again he'd never lost the woman he loved and his job all at one time. She couldn't even give him one last moment just out of sympathy. The least she could have offered was sympathy.

"Right Robert, like you would have let her off the hook with a 'Sorry House fired You' fuck." He mused as he took a sip of beer.

He checked his messages. His heart sank a little when there were none. Who would call him? Certainly not Cameron, she didn't love him. Foreman didn't like him. House just fired him. Maybe Cuddy might have, to offer him his job back, maybe give him a bit of a one up when she went over House's head. But no such luck. It was now time to go on with his life. Forget House, Cameron, Princeton-Plainsboro… he wasn't a fellow anymore. His training was over. This should be a good day.

For the first time in four years he had no idea what to do with himself. He checked his email, which took very little time. He looked for some jobs to apply for, saved the hiring page to his web favorites to return to tomorrow and submit a resume. When he was finished, he started blankly at the desktop of his computer. The standard Mac equipped background looked back at him. His life was all about work. And now that work was gone… did he still have a life?

"That's a stupid question. Of course I have a life…" He took another, longer swing of his beer. "I just don't know what the bollocks to do with it."

Turning off the computer he went to his couch and flipped on the TV. Music videos, television shows he didn't know anything about, TV movies, watered down regular movies being aired on TV… he was completely removed from the world everyone else knew. He was absent from popular culture. It was hard to say that considering he worked for House, and surprising also, but the only thing he knew for sure about was the plot of General Hospital.

He flipped off the TV. "Alright Robert. You're young, you're single and you're not too bad looking. You have nowhere to be tomorrow… it's time to experience the nightlife."

Chase stood and went to his bedroom, shifted through his clothes. He wasn't going out to pick anyone up really, just to experience it. He'd spent his whole college life and early twenties in class and hospitals completely consumed by his occupation. It was time to see what other single guys his age had been doing for years. Bars, clubs… it sounded good. Have a social life for once.

Girls would hit on him. They did just about everywhere. Up until tonight he would have enjoyed the attention. He used to hit on women all the time. He'd tried to pick them up just about anywhere. But now all he could think about was Cameron. Her hair, her smile, her tight abs and perfect backside—

"Stop it. It's over. She wouldn't even have a drink with you tonight." He sighed.

Nothing changed that when he got home he'd smell her in his sheets. She had apple shampoo and her skin smelled like sugar and vanilla. She smelled like dessert, she tasted like nothing else in the world. But now, it was over. Her smell, her gentle touch, the small smile in the morning when he first opened his eyes and looked at her watching him sleep and that small skip his heart made when she kissed him. It didn't matter. She didn't have a heart for him. He was moving on.

_New life. New Job. New opportunities. A new love…maybe._

He changed and grabbed a hat slipping it on and gave himself a once over in the mirror. Satisfied he grabbed his keys just as the doorbell sounded. Confused, he pocketed them before heading for the door.

Chase opened the door slowly. He was a bit surprised by what he saw. Cameron was standing with her back to the door, but when it opened, she turned to face him. She was a bit startled almost as if she was having second thoughts about being there. He was just happy that she was. When she looked at him, his heart picked up it's pace. He barely managed to speak, but forced it out just to get away from the silence.

"Hi." He said.

"It's Tuesday…" Cameron replied.

"Uh no…it's Monday." Chase said, a little confused.

She stepped closer, and he couldn't help the butterflies in his stomach.

"I know… just… I didn't feel like waiting." She said softly, a little shyly.

He smiled a little, leaned in putting his hand on her cheek and kissed her. Maybe her heart wasn't missing from him at all.

Fin


End file.
